Thanks again to all my reviewers - Tomb Raider X
Chapter Six
The sheer number of troops threatened to overwhelm Han as he and the others were led out of the bunker, hands on their heads. He glanced at Leia, and saw the same dejected, despairing look on her face as he figured was on his. Chewie growled mournfully. There were hundreds of troops, as well as a group of AT-ST walkers. In the face of all this evidence, Han had to conclude that they had walked straight into an elaborate trap. Which meant that their friends in the ships preparing to attack the Death Star were also walking into a trap, and they were all going to die. Every single one of them—
"Hello!" Han looked up at the sound of a very familiar voice. "I say, over here!" His heart sank as he saw the familiar golden metal body, arms waving woodenly above its head. 3PO! And -- R2? Han had thought R2 was much smarter than the protocol droid. Smarter than standing in the open when a bunch of Imperials had just sprung a trap on your friends, anyway. "Were you looking for me?"
The Imperial army had noticed as well. "Bring those two down here," an officer ordered, and a squad rushed off to obey as the droids slipped back behind the tree they were next to.
3PO looked at R2. "Well, they're on their way. R2, are you sure this was a good idea?" he pleaded as the first Stormtrooper reached their tree.
"Don't move," the Stormtrooper ordered, aiming his blaster rifle at the two droids.
3PO raised his arms above his head and replied, "We surrender!"
Before the Stormtrooper could do anything else, a group of Ewoks leaped from above them to land on and amongst him and his squad. They carried rocks, ropes and sticks, and their squeaky voices resounded with battle cries as they used their primitive weapons to great effect against the Stormtroopers in their confining armour.
From the treetops above, the sound of a horn came floating, loud and strong, over the breeze. Every being - Rebel and Imperial alike - looked up at its sound. It was echoed by another horn from further away, the sound floating over the treetops.
Han Solo watched in amazement as Ewoks - at least two hundred of them - burst up from the bushes in stages - one group after another. They wore what he recognised as full battle dress - helms and all - and aimed primitive bows and arrows at the Imperials. As one of them, one with a larger helm than the others lowered a tomahawk, the archers let loose their arrows.
Suddenly, it was raining arrows, and the Imperials were distracted. Han grabbed the nearest Stormtrooper and threw him to the ground, while Chewie threw a Stormtrooper into another and Leia kicked the one nearest her, grabbed her blaster, and shot an officer leaning out of an AT-ST. Han spotted a blaster on the ground and grabbed it, throwing another Stormtrooper over his shoulder. He spotted Leia sprinting toward the bunker, so he followed, covering her as she entered the code to open the door.
"Code's changed!" Leia announced angrily. "We need R2." Han looked at the control panel of the bunker and found what he was looking for. "Here's the terminal," he told her, then turned back to the battle, blaster at the ready.
She grabbed the comlink from her belt and thumbed it on. "R2, where are you?" she shouted into it. "We need you at the bunker right away!"
Still standing next to their tree, R2 and 3PO argued.
"Going? What do you mean, you're going?" the protocol droid demanded. "Going where, R2?" The little droid bleeped and began to roll in the direction of the bunker. "No, wait! R2!" Alarmed, 3PO followed after him. "This is no time for heroics! Come back!"
Lando sent the 'Falcon' hurtling past an Alliance cruiser, following Wedge in his X-wing. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something. "Watch yourself, Wedge!" he called over the comm. "Three from above."
"Red three, red two, pull in," Wedge ordered in response.
"Got it," came the reply, and Lando watched as the two Rebel fighters dove from above and took out the TIEs that had been threatening Wedge. "Three of them coming in, twenty degrees," the same voice continued.
"Cut to the left, I'll take the leader," Wedge instructed. Lando dodged another TIE, and his gunners used his manoeuvre to take out another. When he had pulled out of his manoeuvre, Wedge continued, "They're heading for the medical frigate!"
Lando swore under his breath and turned the Falcon to follow the TIEs. His gunners took out another two before he came out from behind the frigate, heading toward the stationary Star Destroyers. He frowned. "Only the fighters are attacking," Lando observed, confused, as he levelled the Falcon out. "I wonder what those Star Destroyers are waiting for."
Admiral Piett turned as a messenger approached from the direction of the crew pit, on board the Super Star Destroyer Executor.
"We're in attack position now, sir," the messenger told him, saluting.
The Admiral nodded in satisfaction. "Hold here," he ordered. The messenger frowned. "We're not going to attack?" he asked.
Piett shook his head with a small smile. "I have my orders from the Emperor himself. He has something special planned for them. We have only to keep them from escaping."
"As you can see, my young apprentice," Emperor Palpatine continued to taunt him, seemingly unaware of his internal turmoil, "Your friends have failed. Now, witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station!"
Cold fear gripped Luke's heart as he watched the Emperor hit a button on his throne's comm port. "Fire at will, Commander," he ordered.
Luke snapped his head around to watch the distant space battle; then looked back at the Emperor. He turned his head back and forth frantically, trying to think of something he could possibly do to stop this from happening, but his mind was infuriatingly blank.
In the Death Star control room, a naval ensign pushed the correct buttons to power up the awesome super laser that gave the Death Star its name. Another ensign pulled a lever and pressed a few buttons, calibrating the massive weapon.
"Fire!" came the Commander's order.
With the flip of a switch, the small beams that made up the super laser surged through their conduits and into the focussing dish, where they coalesced into one powerful beam. That beam shot out from the Death Star and impacted with a distant Calamarian cruiser. The cruiser had no chance.
"Whoa!" Lando exclaimed, echoed by his co-pilot, as there was a bright flash from the direction of the Death Star and a Calamarian cruiser in front of him exploded in a brilliant ball of fire. "That blast came from the Death Star! That thing's operational!" He reached out and hit the comm transmission key. "Home One, this is Gold Leader."
"We saw it," came Admiral Ackbar's grave voice. "All craft prepare to retreat."
"We won't get another chance at this, Admiral," Lando warned.
"We have no choice, General Calrissian." Ackbar argued. "Our cruisers can't repel fire power of that magnitude!"
"Han will have that shield down, you've got to give him more time!"
Leia scanned the area around the bunker carefully as the two droids made their way to where she and Han were standing. She spotted a Stormtrooper and shot him quickly.
"We're coming, we're coming!" 3PO called, arms flailing as he shuffled toward them.
"Come on, come on," Han said in reply, stepping back and crouching behind R2 as the little droid extended his data arm and plugged it into the socket. Leia moved back, allowing Han to cover them.
Han aimed his blaster carefully and shot a Stormtrooper who was about to come too close, then darted back behind R2 as another one popped up above the bushes a short distance away and shot at him. That particular trooper stayed above the bushes and shot again, just before Han had resumed his position next to R2. The blaster bolt impacted on R2's flimsy data arm, sending the little droid flying backwards across the entrance to the bunker.
Han spotted the Stormtrooper and shot him quickly, turning to the little droid.
R2 came to a stop at the opposite wall and started bleeping in ever increasing distress as his dome spun around, compartments popped open and tiny explosions were set off across his surface. Finally the bleeping stopped, and with a mournful wail, R2 toppled over to hit the ground with a crash.
Han and Leia looked at each other mournfully. "Well, I suppose I can hotwire this thing," Han said.
"Yes, I said closer!" Lando insisted, instinctively ducking as a blast came too close to the Falcon's cockpit. "Move as close as you can and engage those Star Destroyers at point blank range!"
"At that close range we won't last long against those Star Destroyers," Ackbar protested from Home One.
"We'll last longer than we will against that Death Star," Lando countered. "And we might just take a few of them with us!"
Luke stared out the view port at the distant battle. The Death Star fired again, obliterating another cruiser filled with thousands of innocent beings. Luke cringed. He knew what Ben Kenobi had felt like when Alderaan was destroyed, now. Luke could feel their deaths, every single one of them, and they pressed on his consciousness like a heavy weight. How could he allow their murderer to sit there in front of him and do it again?
"Your fleet is lost, and your friends on the Endor moon will not survive," the Emperor commented, almost mournfully. "There is no escape, my young apprentice."
The emphasis on the last three words unnerved Luke, prompting him to turn and study his father for signs of unease. Finding none, he turned his gaze back to the Emperor. He fought desperately for control.
"The Alliance will die, as will your friends," Palpatine continued, staring straight back at him. Unable to stop himself, Luke glanced at his lightsaber, sitting untouched on the Emperor's armrest. With closed eyes, Palpatine whispered, "Good... I can feel your anger." He opened his eyes. "I am defenceless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey toward the dark side will be complete."
Luke closed his eyes for a moment. He could not; he would not...
Luke's head snapped up. He extended his arm and brought his lightsaber flying into his waiting hand; it arrived with a comforting slap of metal against flesh. In one move, Luke ignited it with a snap-hiss, brought it up and slashed down at the Emperor—
Only to be stopped by the bright red blade of his father's lightsaber.
"I think I got it!" Han exclaimed, eagerly fiddling with two wires.
"I got it!" His grin turned to an expression of dismay as an extra heavy door closed across the first. Making a face, he turned back to his work.
The gruesome sound of a blaster bolt impacting against flesh came from next to him, accompanied by Leia's anguished yell. Immediately Han squatted down next to her and tried to move her further into cover. He ignored 3PO's concern and said to Leia,
"Let me see."
She shook her head with clenched teeth. "It's not bad."
"Freeze," came an all too familiar metallic voice from behind them. "Don't move." Han saw the resigned recognition in Leia's eyes; then followed those eyes to the holster at her side... and the blaster Leia was slowly pulling from it with her uninjured hand. Looking back up into her eyes, Han grinned lopsidedly and said fervently, "I love you."
Leia smiled in return. "I know."
"Hands up!" the Stormtrooper demanded. "Stand up!"
Slowly, Han turned around; then dived out of Leia's way as she brought her blaster up and fired. The shot impacted with the trooper's chest, sending him sprawling backwards. Han turned back around and grinned at Leia. He glanced back, only to find the smile wiped from his face as an Imperial Scout Walker levelled its turbo lasers at them. "Stay back," he warned Leia, then climbed to his feet cautiously.
As he watched, the top hatch of the walker opened up. Tensing, Han prepared himself for anything...
But was caught totally unprepared when Chewbacca rose up out of the walker, roaring a greeting. "Chewie!" he exclaimed in relief, lowering his arms. "Get down here, she's wounded," he said, gesturing to Leia. Then, his mind caught up. Chewie was sitting there... in an Imperial walker.
"No, wait," he said quickly, then turned to Leia apologetically. "I got an idea."
Luke swung his lightsaber hard, only to feel it impact with Vader's again. He twisted and thrust underneath his father's lightsaber, and when he parried, Luke changed direction and came at him from the other side. This time Vader parried and struck, and Luke only just blocked him in time. He pushed back at Vader, forcing him back a step, then followed, spotted an opening and lashed out with his foot, sending his father tumbling backwards down the stairs. He quickly shut off his lightsaber.
"Good," the Emperor coaxed. "Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you."
"Obi-Wan has taught you well," Vader announced. The Sith lord was making his way slowly up the steps.
"I will not fight you, father," Luke said, as much to himself as to Vader. He moved warily backwards, trying to keep a little distance between them. He may not want to fight his father, but Vader certainly wanted to fight his son.
"You are unwise to lower your defences!" Luke brought his lightsaber up almost instinctively and blocked Vader's strike, then the next one, and caught the next one on his own blade, bringing the fight to a standstill as he walked up the steps to get to clear ground. As soon as he was in a clear patch, he struck back with four quick strikes, then caught Vader's lightsaber and held it as he rested in a deep lunge.
He tried to quickly think up a strategy, but only one came to mind before he was forced to dodge, then leap, aided by the Force, into a circle of computer monitors. Vader swung at him and he leaped again, turning a backwards layout somersault to land on a low gantry, a metre or so above Vader's head.
There, he shut down his lightsaber and began to walk slowly across the gantry. "Your thoughts betray you, father," he prodded. "I feel the good in you. The conflict."
"There is no conflict," Vader denied darkly.
"You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now," Luke continued. He hoped this was getting some kind of reaction from the man before him. Vader had to realise that there was good in him before he could turn back to the light.
"You underestimate the power of the dark side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny."
Something in Vader's voice set alarm bells ringing in Luke's Force sense, so he was ready for it when Vader threw his lightsaber at a support post. Luke ducked away from the sparks it threw, and consequently was off balance when the gantry fell. He fell with it, tumbling underneath the screeching metal and darting into a dark corner.
Lando swung the Falcon away from an exploding TIE fighter, then hit the comm switch. "Watch out - squad at point zero six," he advised.
"I'm on it, Gold Leader," came an anonymous reply.
A TIE exploded in front of an X-wing, followed by Wedge's voice.
"Good shot, Red Two."
Taking a breath at a near miss, Lando flew over the hull of a Calamarian cruiser, which was now barely holding its own in a battle with a Star Destroyer. "We're sure in the middle of it now," he commented. "Come on, Han old buddy... don't let me down!"
Hope you enjoyed it. Only one or two chapters left to go, then I will post the sequel. Please review - Tomb Raider X